Fans disappointed over The Wound (Inxeba) not making the Oscar cut

Fans across the country have been left disappointed that local film The Wound (Inxeba) lost out on an Oscar nomination on Tuesday afternoon.  

The local film was shortlisted for a nomination late last year in the Foreign Language and Animation category.

The 2018 Oscar nominees were announced at a swanky party in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles this afternoon. Films that clinched nominations were A Fantastic Woman, The Insult, Loveless, On Body and Soul and The Square.  

"We are disheartened and disappointed but we were in good company on that short list, so we knew the chances were almost the unthinkable but we definitely believed in it (the film). It was one of the strongest years for that category in a long time but we are looking forward to how the film will do in South Africa. We will have South Africans vote for whether the movie should make it to the Oscars, and we are hopeful they will," said producers Elias Ribeiro and Cait Pansegrouw. 

One of the stars Niza Jay believed the film was not nominated because it was not meant to be. 

"Whats meant to happen has happened. We wanted to be there but we didn't and that’s okay. We are still the most awarded film in South African history and that’s still worth celebrating. It's not the end of the race for us, the country or future SA films." 

The film has already scooped 19 international awards. It was most recently named best foreign film by the African-American Film Critics Association and best film at the International Queer and Migrant Film Festival in Amsterdam.

Inxeba has received split reactions in SA for its controversial storyline. It has received both acclaim and criticism for its honest depiction of Xhosa initiation rituals.

The film tells the story of Xolani, a factory worker who travels to the rural Eastern Cape to oversee the initiation process – but then one defiant initiate discovers Xolani's secret.

Local fans have inundated Twitter expressing their sadness: